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% The Glass factory. %
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¨¨,~=$#@@# Several Centuries After It Had Last #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## Belonged To Us, We Went On An Outing To ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# The Glass Factory That Bore Our Family #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ Name. It Had Changed Owners Many Times @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Since Our Ancestors Death, And Then #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## Stood Abandoned For A Long While. ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Finally, The Natural End Station For #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ The Buildings That Survive: A Museum, @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# And A Gift Shop. #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# There'S A Long Time Since My Family #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ Made Anything. By Many, We Would Be @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Considered Poor. #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# There Are Two Main Factory Buildings, #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ Domed Things Of Several Floors, Made In @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Yellow Brick. Large But Narrow Windows, #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## Reminescent Of Some Cathedral. ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Custom-Made Glass, Of Course, Large And #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ LeadEd, And Ashen. A Bit Too Dark To Be @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Practical. On The Eastern Building, #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## Some Are Shattered. ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ The Other One Is Publicly Open. There'S @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# A Museum, With Wax Figures Of My Great #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## Great Great Grandfather, Or Something. ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Various Tools (Or Replicas) Laid Out On #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ Tables, With Explaining Texts. A Lot Of @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Glass Of Varying Thickness. #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# %% #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ %% %% @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# ~~~~~~~ % % ~~~~~~~ #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## %% %% ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# %% #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# I Quickly Sneak Out, And Climb Into The #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## Other Building. The Contrast Is ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Overwhelming. It Must Have Stood #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ Derelict For A Long Time, Windows @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Broken, Metallic Trash And Pools Of #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## Dark Glass All Over The Floor. No ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Electric Lights, But I Can See By The #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ Light That Shines In Wherever The Dark @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Windows Are Missing A Pane. #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# However, The Greatest Difference Is The #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ Higher Floors: This Building Has None. @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# It Is One Massive Hall, Stretching Away #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## Infinitely Above Me. Somewhere Up There ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Is Some Great Iron Latticework, From #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ Where Chains Are Suspended, And Parts @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Of Machinery Has Been Falling Down. #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# There Is, In The Middle Of The Great #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ Hall, A Thin Spiral Staircase That @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Leads Up There. I Sneak Over There, And #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## Take A Few Reluctant Steps. After Just ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# A Revolution, I Notice That For Each #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ Step The Building Starts To Glow, The @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Bricks Turning A Dark Red, And Then #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## Orange, All The Piled Up Debree Being ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Lit From Behind. #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# I Stop Ready To Run Down And Out, But #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## There'S Someone Else On The Staircase ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# With Me Now, Pressed Close. He'S #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ Looking Like Me, Short Hair And Thin @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Arms, But With Ears From Some Animal, #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## And More Disturbingly, Completely Made ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Of Dark Liquid glass. #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# %% #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## %% %% ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# ~~~~~~~ % % ~~~~~~~ #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ %% %% @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# %% #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# My Fear Holds Me In Place While He #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ Starts Operating Levers And Dials Set @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# In The Center Of The Staircase. Slowly, #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## It Starts Spinning, Circling Upwards. ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# It'S An Elevator! I Start To Run #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ Downwards, But Now The Liquid Boy @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Creature Grabs Hold Of Me. I Try To #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## Shake Him Off, But He'S Too Strong, And ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Pulls Me Back Up Beside Him. #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# This Time, I Turn Angry Instead. What #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## The Hell? Who Is This Guy, Acting Like ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# This? I Reach Out My Free Arm And Slam #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ A Random Lever. Some Metal Bar Is @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Suddenly Released Between Us, Hitting #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## Him On The Arm, Forcing My Release. I ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Shove Him Off Of Me, And He Falls Into #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ The Levers, Messing Them Up. @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Immediately, A Thin Rusty Chainmail #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## Curtain Is Dropped Around Me. But The ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Elevator Also Speeds Up Significantly. #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# The Walls Are Flaring Now, Yellow, #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## White, Almost Blue. I Close My Eyes And ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Curl Into A Ball. But Then, The Glass #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ Boy Screams, A Piercing Sound That @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Forces My Eyes Back Open. I Watch As He #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## Becomes Too Liquid, His Body Pooling ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Down In His Now Massive Tail, And The #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ Tip Of It Suddenly Breaks Of In A Glass @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Drop That Falls Toward The Factory #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## Floor. ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ He'S Crawling On The Stairs, Unable To @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Keep His Body Upright. Can'T Reach The #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## Levers, Claws At My Chainmail Cage, ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# While His Body Is Turning Into Dark #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ Pearls. Finally, He'S Lost Too Much Of @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Himself And The Scream Is Cut Short. #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## The Last Of Him Rains Down. ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ I Still Can'T Reach The Levers From @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Within My Cage. Looking Up, I Try To #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## Make Out The Ceiling, But It'S All A ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Whirling Sea Of Colours. Below Me Glows #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ The Hellfire Of The Factory Walls, But @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Very Faint. I Sit Down, Curl Back Up, #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## Become Still. ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ %% @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# %% %% #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## ~~~~~~~ % % ~~~~~~~ ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# %% %% #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ %% @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## A Large Clunk Shakes My Entire Body, ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# And Snaps Me Back Into Reality. I'M #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ Back At The Factory Floor, But The @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Stairs Are Still Moving Slightly, #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## Clicking In Place, Carrying Me The Last ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Few Centimeters. I Came From Below, #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ Somehow. The Chainmail Is Retracted, @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# And I Slowly Dismount The Stairs. #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Shaking And Crying, I Make My Way Over #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ The Factory Floor, Wading Through Dark @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Glass Marbles. A Quick Glance Down, And #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨,~=$#@@## I See There'S Something Faint Inside ##@@#$=~,¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# Them. Embryos? Are These Eggs? #@@#$=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=$#@@ @@#$=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=$#@@# I Shudder, And Climb Back Out. #@@#$=~,¨¨
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